The present invention relates generally to a car control device for use in a train and more specifically, to improvements in a car control device.
In general, a train is comprised of a consist of one or more locomotives followed by a series of cars, and a pneumatic brake pipe extending through the train for the pneumatic brake. In recent years, each of the train cars and each of the locomotives have been serially connected by a power and communication trainline. Additionally, each car has an electropneumatic brake system. The serial electric power network and the pneumatic brake network have been integrated to form an electropneumatic braking system which is in communication with the power and communication trainline, which not only delivers power to each of the cars but also provides a communication link, enabling identification and serialization of a train.
In order to integrate the pneumatic and electrical systems in a network, the prior art devised a car control device for placement in each car, and the car control device was then placed in contact with an ID module and the power and communication trainline. An example of a system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,465 to Lumbis et al. and a car control device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,670 to Truglio et al.
The construction of a car control device necessarily involved the linking and intertwining of several systems. The car control device comprised a control valve system, a power management system, a functional control system, and a manifold. The control valve system is comprised of a plurality of valves which may be electrically controlled in response to electrical signals received from the functional control module to pneumatically control the pneumatic brakes. A plurality of pressure transducers communicates with the functional control system.
The power management system, which is in electrical communication with the functional control module, typically comprises a battery and battery charger. The battery is charged by tapping into the high voltage power and communication trainline, which links all the cars in the network. Additionally, the power and communication trainline is in electric communication with the functional control module as well.
Therefore, a car control device involves an intricate network of systems in fluid and/or electrical communication with one another in a single housing. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, all of the systems are accessible through a single opening and cannot be easily serviced without removal of the manifold to which the systems are mounted.
Design objectives for the Car Control Device, as herein disclosed, include compliance with AAR Specifications compliance and a ten-fold increase in reliability.
The Reliability goals translate into requirements for:
xc2xa7 subsystem reliability modeling and allocation
xc2xa7 part count reduction
xc2xa7 minimum electrical connections
xc2xa7 engineered resonance response for each sub-component
xc2xa7 component derating
xc2xa7 design for circuit operation over worst case tolerance conditions
xc2xa7 maximize availability and maintainability
xc2xa7 and six-sigma validation
Customer driven requirements include:
xc2xa7 unitized electronic and pneumatic solution
xc2xa7 mounting directly to the service side of the AB Pipe Bracket or SSPB
xc2xa7 fits within the installation/removal envelope of the DB-10/ABDX Service
Portion
xc2xa7 upgrade-able from Overlay Application to Stand-Alone at low cost.
xc2xa7 weight less than 44 lbs. (20 kg) for ease of handling.
xc2xa7 status LEDs for troubleshooting
The requirement for many integrated systems into a network, coupled with the need for increased reliability and customer demands, lead to a design philosophy embodied by xe2x80x9cMechatronicsxe2x80x9d, which requires very tight integration of the mechanical and electronic elements. While previous design approaches for ECP CCDs divide the design along the lines of technology, that is a pneumatic module and a computer, the inventive car control device is designed as an integrated, synergistic whole. The approach has resulted in a significant improvement in reliability, size, weight, and parts count metrics.
The invention is a car control device for a car on an electric network of a train. The car control device communicates on the network, controls pneumatic brakes on the car and charges a battery, all in a housing of the car control device. The car control device has a pneumatic manifold with a plurality of ports enabling fluid communication with a brake valve, and a control valve module. A functional control module electrically communicates with a power management module, the control valve module, and the network, such that the functional control module, control valve module, power management module, and control valve module are interior the housing, which is preferably formed as a monolithic one-piece structure. The manifold is integrally formed into the housing.
The housing is configured such that each module is located within a compartment having a removable cover, which enables each of the modules and compartments to be separately accessible.
The battery compartment has top, bottom, back and side walls and a removable battery cover as a front wall. The Battery Cover is secured by two easily accessible bolts. To prevent loss during routine maintenance, both the bolts in the cover and the cover itself are retained. The walls of the battery compartment are configured to receive the battery in a predetermined orientation. A battery carriage with an internal configuration mating with the battery in the predetermined orientation and an external configuration mating with the walls of the battery compartment in the predetermined orientation provides further assurance that the battery cannot be inserted into the housing in a reversed orientation.
The carriage is configured to snugly envelope the battery and lie in the battery compartment. The front wall of the carriage is pivotally connected near a first edge and latched adjacent a second edge. Preferably, the top, bottom and side walls of the carriage are configured to form legs of a U-shape with the back wall of the carriage as a bight of the U-shape.
A battery connector with a positive socket and a negative socket attaches to positive and negative terminals of the battery, respectively. The front wall of the battery carriage includes a receiving chamber configured to receive the battery connector, such that the battery connector snugly fits into the receiving chamber.
Electrical leads extend from the top of the battery compartment to the top wall of the battery carriage. Wire clips are adjacent the top wall of the battery carriage and receive the electrical leads. In addition, the front wall of the carriage includes a guard on a top edge of the front wall.
The bottom wall, back wall, and two side walls of the battery compartment are integrally configured with the housing to form a monolithic, one-piece structure, and the top wall of the battery compartment is sealably mounted to the housing.
Each of the two side walls of the battery carriage comprise an upper flange extending from the top wall of the battery carriage, and a lower flange extending from the bottom wall of the battery carriage. At least one of the side walls of the battery carriage has ribs on a outer surface.
The battery compartment further comprises a pressure release valve, preferably an umbrella check valve, which allows gas to escape the housing in the event pressure inside the battery compartment elevates to a predetermined level.
The power management module (PMM) is mounted in the housing and forms a top wall of a battery compartment. Battery leads extend from the battery compartment to the power management module. Source leads extend from the power management module exterior the battery compartment and are connected to the functional control module (FCM).
The power management module includes a housing, a circuit board mounted in the housing, and circuitry on the circuit board, wire, and grommets. In a preferred embodiment, the power management module further includes a battery charger. The battery and source leads attach to a surface of the circuit board of the power management module; additional leads extend from a surface of the circuit board to electrically connect to the functional control module. Preferably, the circuit board is potted on both sides.
A gasket may be placed between the power management module and the housing. The power management module comprises a frame for receipt of the circuit board. Tabs are formed on the frame and edges of the circuit board. The circuit board and the frame are cooperatively configured so that the circuit board fits tightly into the frame.
The functional control module (FCM) is mounted on an interior surface of the cover. A functional control module compartment is integrally configured on a face of the housing. The cover removably conceals the functional control module compartment, and the functional control module lies in the functional control module compartment. The functional control module comprises circuitry which interprets trainline communications signals, provides brake control signals to a control valve module, and provides control to a power management module, which charges the battery.
The functional control module comprises a circuit board mounted adjacent to the interior surface of the cover. First electrical leads electrically connect the circuit board to the power management module, the control valve module and the pressure sensor module. Second electric leads electrically connect the circuit board to plugs on the housing; the plugs removably receive leads connected to the network.
A pair of parallel, spaced apart, groove members are attached to the interior surface of the cover, thereby forming a channel to receive edges of the functional control module circuit board. These spaced apart, groove members maybe cast into the interior surface as well. A locking device secures the circuit board in the channel formed by the groove members. An edge connector mates with an edge of the circuit board. A respective electrical lead extends from the edge connector to contact each of the power management module, pressure sensor module, and the control valve module. Additionally, electrical leads extend from the edge connector to the plugs, which allow removable connection to the network.
The edge connector is mounted on the interior surface of the cover and positioned such that as the circuit board is inserted into the channel, the edge connector provides a stop to electrically engage the circuit board. The functional control module compartment cover is configured to cooperate with the housing to support the cover on the housing in an open position of the cover. In a preferred embodiment, at least one support member is mounted on the cover, such that each support member extends into the housing when the functional control module cover is in a closed position, and engages a respective recess in the housing when the functional control module cover is moved to the open position. In the open position, a plurality of fluid ports on the manifold become accessible within the functional control module compartment.
Each support member lies within the recess when the functional control module cover is in the closed position; in a preferred embodiment, the support members are mounted on a groove member. Connectors such as threaded bolts secure the cover of the functional control module to the housing.
The control valve module has supply and exhaust valves on a sub-manifold as well as an electric connecting block. The supply and exhaust valves are electrically connected to the connector block, and the connector block is connected to the functional control module. The submanifold is mounted on the manifold, and the control valve module is in fluid communication with the brake valve or manifold, which will be described later, and electric communication with the functional control module.
The housing is configured such that the control valve module compartment is adjacent to the power management module compartment in the housing. A control valve module compartment is integrally configured on a face of the housing, and a common cover on the housing provides access to both the power management module compartment and the control valve module compartment.
The sub-manifold includes ports for the supply valve, the exhaust valve, and an isolation valve; and the supply valve and the exhaust valve are mounted in the supply valve and the exhaust valve ports, respectively. The isolation valve is mounted in the isolation valve port in a stand alone configuration of the car control device and is removed for an overlay configuration of the car control device. The isolation valve is electrically connected to the connector block.
Electrical leads connect each of a respective supply valve and the exhaust valve to the connector block. A multi-lead wiring harness connects the connector block to the functional control module.
A pair of jumper wires are electrically connected to the electrical connector block when the car control device is in an overlay configuration. Additionally, the car control device further comprises detection software which determines whether the car control device is operating in the overlay configuration or alternatively in the stand-alone configuration.
A pressure sensor module (PSM) is mounted in the housing within a pressure sensor module compartment and in fluid communication with the manifold. The pressure sensor module (PSM) is in electric communication with the functional control module, which mates with the circuit board of the functional control module via the edge connector. Preferably, the pressure sensor module is mounted inside the housing adjacent to the control valve module and the power management module.
The pressure sensor module further comprises a casing and a plurality of pneumatic input ports integrally configured on a first face of the casing and in fluid communication with the manifold, as described earlier. The ports are configured so that mounting of the module of the pressure sensor module to the housing sealably connects each of the pneumatic input ports to an aperture in fluid communication with the manifold. Preferably, the casing is sealed except for the ports. A plurality of transducers are inside the casing and in communication with its own port. Each of the transducers is electrically connected to the functional control module.
The pneumatic input ports of the pressure sensor module are connected respectively to receive fluid communication from a reservoir, a brake pipe, a brake cylinder and control valve pressure and an atmospheric reference. The pressure at each of the emergency reservoir, brake pipe, brake cylinder and control valve pressure ports is compared to the reference, then translated into a voltage by the respective pressure transducers, thereby producing a signal from the transducers that is proportional to a gauge pressure for each of the respective ports. The casing comprises at least one bore for receipt of a fastener which attaches the casing to the housing.
The pressure sensor module has a multi-pin electrical receptacle on a second face of the casing. The receptacle is configured such that each of the transducers has an output electrically connected to a respective pin. Additionally, a pair of pins of the receptacle correspond to a pair of common voltage inputs to each of the transducers. A cable configured to mate with the receptacle on the first end electrically contacts the functional control module at a second end, preferably by making electrical contact with an electrical edge connector.
The pressure sensor module further comprises an ambient input port in fluid communication with the external atmosphere. The ambient input port is connected to a conduit that extends through the housing to provide direct fluid communication with atmospheric pressure.
A plurality of adjacent ports on an exterior of a wall of the housing mates with a standard release portion of a pneumatic brake control valve. A release portion of a pneumatic brake control valve is mounted at the exterior wall and mates with the adjacent ports in a stand alone configuration of the car control device. An overlay module is mounted at the exterior wall and mates with the adjacent ports in an overlay configuration of the car control device.
The overlay module includes an electropneumatic valve electrically connected, through the control valve module, to the functional control module and pneumatically connected to the brake control valve. The electropneumatic valve selectively connects the pneumatic brake control valve or the car control device to control a brake cylinder.
The overlay module includes an electropneumatic valve and a pneumatic valve. The electropneumatic valve receives control signals to selectively connect a reservoir or exhaust to control the pneumatic valve. The pneumatic valve connects the brake control valve to the brake cylinder in response to exhaust and connects the car control device to the brake cylinder in response to reservoir pressure.
The back face of the housing, which includes a generally circular interface having a plurality of ports and apertures therein, is formed to mate with a pipe bracket. In addition to having ports to mate with the pipe bracket, a special conversion port is also included on the pipe bracket interface.
A pair of special plugs is configured to fit within the special conversion port. The manifold is formed so that the conduit leading to the emergency reservoir is connectable with the conduit leading to the auxiliary reservoir. In the overlay configuration, special overlay plug prevents fluid communication between the emergency reservoir and the auxiliary reservoir. In contrast, a special stand-alone plug may be inserted into the special conversion port in order to allow fluid communication between the auxiliary reservoir and the emergency reservoir.
A brake cylinder valve port, which is generally known in the art as a brake cylinder relay bore, is integrally configured on one face of the housing. In a preferred embodiment, the brake cylinder relay bore is on a bottom face of the housing.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.